Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity

Academic Achievement

Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity

What does this measure?

The number of residents with a particular level of education in a region, expressed as a percentage of all residents 25 and older, broken down by race and ethnicity.

Why is this important?

An educated population makes a more attractive workforce and is better prepared to instruct the next generation of residents. High educational attainment represents a region's investment in human capital and preparation for long-term growth.

How is our region performing?

The proportion of adults in 2012-16 with a bachelor's degree or higher was highest among Asian (53%) and white (33%) residents of the region. These proportions were similar to those at the state and national levels.

The proportion of the region's Hispanic and African American residents with a bachelor's degree or higher (15% and 13% respectively) was substantially lower than for Asian and white residents. The rates of Hispanic residents statewide and nationally with a bachelor's degree were comparable to our region, but the statewide and national share of African Americans with at least a bachelor's degree was significantly higher than our region (10 points higher statewide, 7 points higher nationally).

The regional proportion of adults without high school diplomas were 8% among white residents, 19% among Asian residents, 22% among African American residents, and 30% among Hispanic residents. These disparities were again reflective of those on the statewide and national level, with the rate of African American residents without a high school diploma notably higher in the region than in the state (17%) and nation (16%).

Notes about the data

The multi-year figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.

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The percent of students tested who met or exceeded the state standard on the NYS Grade 3 English exam. Student performance is scored from level 1 to 4. The state standard is met by scoring at level 3 or 4 and is considered passing.